Restaurant coming to island

PETER GUINTApeter.guinta@staugustine.com

Published Saturday, May 24, 2008

The approved demolition of two homes at 24 and 26 Palmetto St. this week opened the floodgates of neighborhood inquiry and complaints to St. Augustine's Planning and Building Department, according to city staffers.

Residents near the popular Gypsy Cab Restaurant on Anastasia Boulevard have called the city to say they are suspicious of any rezoning of that property because they believe the developer plans a strip club there.

That worry was addressed by Planning and Building Director Mark Knight late Friday.

"It's just a restaurant," Knight said. "They have applied to the city Planning and Zoning Board for a June 3 hearing on a tree removal application. We have no paperwork on anything else.

"How many times has it been in the newspaper that strip clubs are only allowed on U.S. 1?" Knight said.

But that didn't satisfy resident Mary Davis of Magnolia Drive.

"(The property's) virtually in my back yard," Davis said. "Do we want to jeopardise (St. Augustine's family oriented atmosphere) for the few pennies this type of consumer will bring in?"

The worries began after one neighbor learned that the developer of the Palmetto Street property is No Limit Entertainment LLC, of 2750 Race Track Road, suite 305, St. Johns, and a mailing address in Orlando, according to Florida Division of Corporations documents dated April 28, 2008.

The listed managing member is Kendra Turnage of Julington Creek.

Turnage said that when she bought the two properties, one house was condemned and the other in poor shape.

"There was evidence of transients and drug use there," she said.

She called a demolition company and the houses were torn down.

However, some of the residents went on their computers to see what No Limit Entertainment was all about.

They found a No Limit Entertainment LLC registered in Buffalo, N.Y. that operates XXX adult entertainment clubs, limousine services and a "Naughty Super Store."

A second No Limit Entertainment LLC from Las Vegas, Nev., "specializes in acquiring, developing, and managing food and beverage establishments (nightclub, lounge, bar, restaurant, catering) and hospitality management," its Web site says.

Turnage said there is absolutely no connection between her company and the other two.

"It's just a catchy name we came up with," she said.

As far as the type of restaurant to be built there, she doesn't know yet.

"We've made no definite plans. It'll be an upscale something. We want to improve the community, not tear it apart," Turnage said.

St. Augustine architect Howard Davis will handle the design for the two-story Turnage Restaurant, which will have 45,000 square feet on the first floor and 1,500 square feet on the second floor.

Knight said the parking lot will be coquina so there won't be a lot of stormwater runoff.